David Coulthard, who will make his F1 farewell in Brazil this weekend, has grabbed some early South American seat time by demonstrating his Red Bull Racing car to at least 80,000 cheering fans in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.
It’s a sign of the length of the veteran Scotsman’s career in the top flight that Argentina hasn’t hosted a Grand Prix for a decade – but, when it did, he was on pole.
DC was in Buenos Aires to stage a show run on a 600m course laid out on the Avenida 9 de Julio, which is said to be the widest city street in the world.
He said: “It’s great to be back here in Argentina, as I used to love coming here for the grand prix.”
The width and size of the temporary course allowed him to hit speeds of 155mph (250kmh) and carry out a series of slides, spins, burnouts and doughnuts around the famous Obelisk in the middle of the road – as well as leaving room to avoid the tango dancers on the pedestrian crossing.
After 15 years and 13 wins, Coulthard will line up on the grid for the final time at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix – but that won’t be the last time he attends an F1 race.
He told Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung that he expects to attend every race next year: “Not much will change dramatically. I will still be working with Red Bull, coming to all the races, and driving at tests. The main difference is that on Sunday I will be sitting and watching the Grand Prix rather than being in the car,”
As well as his Red Bull commitments, he is also hotly tipped to join the BBC’s new commentary team for next season.
